The Stuff Of Legends
by Abboz
Summary: Two different Legends come face to face, but can they work together to save the heart of one? Robin Hood BBC/Doctor Who - Crossover. 10thDoctor/Rose. Robin/Marian. Set sometime after "Timey Wimey Stuff" - After Rose's return and after series 2 of RH.
1. The Outlaws Found Us First

_Chapter 1 - The Outlaws found us first_

"What's happening Doctor?" Rose yelled as she was thrown to the floor. The TARDIS's central column had begun to whirr and churn, sending the ship spinning through the vortex.

"I don't know! It wasn't my fault! I didn't press anything! Jack what did you do?!" He replied, as he himself was hurled across the floor towards her.

"I'm not sure I just pressed this…"

"NO!" Rose and the Doctor both yelled in unison, but it was too late, Jack had already re-pressed the button.

"Now what have you done!" Rose climbed to her feet, heading over to where the Doctor was now peering at the screen on the console.

"Actually I think we've stopped, whatever you did Jack, you fixed it."

"Well of course, I am _the _Captain Jack Harkness."

"Technically…" Rose started.

"Please don't start… I've heard _that_ way too many times!"

"What's up Doctor?" She leant over his shoulder watching what he was doing on the monitor. The Doctor proceeded to tap at a number of buttons, with a look on his face that told her he was busy calculating something.

"We've landed, but I'm trying to find out where we are… Ah Hah!" His face lit up as if a light bulb had appeared above his head.

"What?"

"Does 1194 mean anything to you?"

"Not really, why?"

"Okay then… how about Sherwood Forest?"

"We're not? Are we?"

"Why don't you take a look outside and see?" Jack did just as the Doctor suggested, opening the large wooden doors and stepping outside. Rose followed behind, the Doctor locking the doors after himself.

"Well don't _I_ know how to pick our destinations?" Jack smirked.

"It's not like you did it on purpose! We all know it was an accident!" She joked back at him.

"Who says I'm not incredibly clever and knew exactly when to time it so we would end up here?!"

"I think you just answered your own question." Rose replied.

"Very funny!"

"When you two have quite finished!" The Doctor remarked.

"Come on then." Rose linked arms with the Doctor. "Shall we go and find ourselves some Outlaws?"

"I think there might be a problem with that…" Jack answered for the Doctor, repeatedly tapping Rose on the shoulder.

"What? Why?" She quickly turned round.

"The Outlaws found us first!"

"_This _is an ambush!"


	2. Nothing He Can Do?

_Chapter 2 - Nothing He Can Do?_

"Be honest, and we take 10 percent of what you have. Lie, and we'll take it all."

"We have nothing you could possibly want!" The Doctor was quick to answer, though wasn't so pleased at the response.

"Take it all then."

"Okay, okay! Hold on." Jack was eager to avoid being shot at, the last thing he needed was the outlaws knowing he couldn't die. It also wouldn't be the best thing if the Doctor got shot, the whole regeneration process would more than freak them out. And if Rose got shot, well he didn't want that whole fiasco with the Doctor again.

"Well, I have… 50p, this is no use to you, and a key." Rose told them, attempting to avoid any conflict, but she decided it was best to keep her high tech mobile to herself.

"What about you two?" One of the outlaws gestured at Jack and the Doctor.

"Well I have… my tool." The Doctor took a second to think how he could stop them taking his sonic screwdriver. "And, oh! Didn't know that was in there!" He pulled out a sachet of sugar, throwing it at the nearest Outlaw's feet. Rose gave him a funny look. "What?! You can have that by the way… oh and my…" How could he describe glasses?! "Latest invention!" Alright, he must admit that was a little over the top, especially when even Jack looked at him to say 'Don't try and pretend you invented glasses!'

"I hate to disappoint you, but I don't have much either, just my weapons and… a camera!" He smirked, the Doctor and Rose decided he was intent on getting that photo developed. "And looks like I have a key too… the key to my house of course!" It was his turn to be looked at, the Doctor and Rose both knew he lived in the hub.

"Ohhh!" they said in unison, now they got it, of course where else would he have a key to.

"Stupid Ianto." Jack mumbled under his breath, but the Doctor and Rose still heard him.

"Jack!" Rose scolded him, it was almost like they were back in the TARDIS.

"On come on! You know I didn't mean that!"

The Doctor nudged Rose. "Focus please!"

"Yeah sorry… well as you can see we don't have much!" Rose refocused on the outlaws.

"We're travellers, nothing but our transport and a few clothes!"

"I'm the Doctor by the way, this is Rose and Jack."

"Captain Jack Harkness!"

"Like he said, Jack." Rose told them.

"The Doctor? Like some kind of Physician?" The nearest outlaw asked.

"Yeah something like that, amongst other things.

"And that, I suppose, is your transport?" The man step forward as he spoke, gesturing at the large blue box, which he had to admit, looked pretty strange to him.

"Yes it is." The Doctor was blunt, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to reveal too much.

"Wait a minute, you're Robin Hood aren't you? _The _Robin Hood?!"

"I see my reputation precedes me."

"Yeah, there are loads of stories about you where I come from!"

"Oh really?!" He sounded quite smug to think he was almost famous.

"Yes, I've heard so much about you and Marian, I'd love to meet her!" Rose now seemed incredibly excited at the thought of meeting a childhood legend. "Oh I'm sorry, what did I say?" She couldn't help but notice that Robin was down heartened. But he didn't respond to her question. "What's wrong? Where's Marian then?"

"She's… gone, she's dead alright!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"You may say that! You all say that, every time you hear. You're not really sorry! You don't know what it's like!" It was clear to the three travellers that the mention of her really got to him. The other Outlaws did what seemed to be the sensible thing, and quickly disappeared, leaving Robin alone with the three strangers, but they knew he could look after himself.

"No need to get at her!" The Doctor rushed in to defend Rose. "I hear what you're saying, but I do know what it's like!"

"No you don't understand. You don't know how it feels, when every day is worse than the last. The mornings are such a struggle because I see no reason to get up, especially when my dreams are filled with her. In the height of summer, when it's hot and sunny, I still feel cold and it's dark, like a part of me is missing. I just want to give up, but I know I have to keep going, I have to keep fighting, because I promised her I would. But do you know the worst thing? The very worst thing is knowing there is nothing I can do." The tears were now evident in Robin's eyes, but he blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. Rose on the other hand now decided it had not been a good idea to mention Marian, and wished she had known before hand.

"I know exactly how you feel. I lost Rose once… It's like the end of the world, like time itself has stopped. There is nothing without her, but you know you should stop thinking about her, possibly even forget about her. But you think about her every moment of the day, and every time you do. Every time you picture her face, see her smile. Remember her touch, how it felt to run your fingers through her hair, to kiss her lips. Your heart is lifted… just for a moment, then it plummets, you want to break down and cry… you feel like you'll die without her." Now the Doctor's eyes began to water, and a single tear slid down his face. Rose pulled him into a hug, kissing the tear off his cheek. He smiled in return, however Robin still didn't seem to be convinced.

"That's not the same, you clearly found her again, but I don't see how I can get Marian back. Do you?! Who are you anyway? Really, who are you?"

"Travellers, like we said."

"You work for the Sheriff and Gisbourne don't you?" He was obviously suspicious of these strangers who had apparently appeared from nowhere.

"No! Of course not! Why would we be working for them? They are nothing but evil. Do we really look like we work for them?" Jack's question was supposed to be rhetorical, but Robin still had an answer for it.

"Well I'm not sure you like you work for anyone, your sense of dress is a bit abnormal."

"Oh, woops, forgot to change, if you give us a minute we can go and get changed."

"In there?!"

"Yeah… It's bigger on the inside, we'll be fine, wait here." The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS with the other two in close pursuit, and shut the doors behind them.

"We best get out of here then." Jack proposed, but the others were having none of it.

"No! There must be some reason why we ended up here, and not your genius before you start that."

"She's right, get changed."

Jack swore, before relenting and going to find an outfit from the vast wardrobe of the TARDIS. He had never been a soft one for romance and the such like, but he was hardly in a situation to defy the Doctor it was help them or spend the whole time alone in the TARDIS.

They all picked an outfit, ones they hoped would be suitable for the time period and got change into them. When Rose emerged from a room, Jack couldn't help but laugh, she was wearing a crimson dress.

"Rose! You're wearing a dress! How adorable!" He mocked her.

"Right that's it I'm changing!" She yelled back at him slamming the door behind her.

"Oh Rose! Come on I thought you looked nice! Shouldn't you care about what I think not what he thinks?!"

"Tough! It's too late now I'm changing."

The Doctor sighed. "Fine, whatever, just hurry up."

"Done." She re-emerged from the wardrobe, wearing a green top with light coloured trousers tucked into a pair of brown boots. "Happy now?"

"Oh I was happy before!" Jack retorted.

"I told you to stop it earlier! Do you ever listen to me?"

"What? Sorry did you say something?" Rose joked before grinning at him.

As they left the TARDIS the Doctor re-locked the door, Robin had been waiting outside, half wondering if they would actually come back out again.

"That good enough for you?" Jack asked patronisingly.

"It'll do yes. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Well I think we might be able to help you." The Doctor told him.

"How can you help me?" If he was honest, Robin didn't think anyone could help him now.

"I'm not sure you will believe me."

"If you had told me say two years ago, that I would get engaged, see the love of my life killed by my rival who claimed to love her, and marry Marian as she lay there dying. I would never have believed you, but look at me now, I am here, she is not. Tell me something I won't believe."

"You're right… well you see, our blue box…" he began to explain, but Rose quickly interrupted him.

"Doctor!" She dragged him aside, as if he didn't remember what happened last time.

"What?!"

"Surely you can't have forgotten what happened last time we saved someone from death? Okay it was my fault, but still this is not a good idea! You'll alter time again."

"Relax it'll be fine!"

"Fine? Fine?! How can it by fine?! Trust me we do not want to do this."

"Just think about it. How many Robin Hood stories have you heard where Marian dies? How many version of the legend do not include her?"

"Well… none, but that doesn't mean we should do this."

"But what if we are meant to do this, what if we are the reason she never dies in the stories."

"But what if it goes wrong?" Rose knew you weren't supposed to mess with history. "Look me in the eyes and say, if it all goes wrong, you can tell him she has to die, could you tell him she was destined to die? Tell him it's her or England, her or the world? Because honestly, what do you think he would pick, what would you pick?"

"Don't worry, I won't have to!"

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." He walked back to where Robin and Jack were stood, in awkward silence, usually Jack would be a right one to start a conversation, but clearly not this time.

"Well we are travellers like we said, except we travel through space and time, in my ship." The Doctor started to explain to Robin, wanting to reveal as little as necessary.

"So you can take me back? Help me save her?"

"Yes we can, but there are a few rules you need to know first. You can't let your previous self see you, and you should to change time as little as possible."

"That's fantastic!" It was like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and his face lit up like they had never seen.

"We thought you'd be happy." Rose smiled at him.

"Yeah, we just need a few details so we can get to the right place."

**A/N: Yeah I know that was a bit angsty but I felt like it and thought it was quite beautiful at the same time, so there you go :D**


	3. His Life, His Soul, His Everything

_Chapter 3 - His Life, His Soul, His Everything_

"Sure, what do you need to know?"

"Times, dates, locations that sort of thing really." The Doctor almost started babbling again, realising now was not the time to do so.

"It was a year ago today…" The memory was still vivid in his mind, like it had been a day ago, not a year. Robin included every detail as he recalled the entire event, hoping, just hoping it would be enough for them to help him. Pathetic as it seemed, he needed her to continue, and he knew that so very well. This year alone had been enough of a struggle, he didn't see himself lasting long enough to save England, like he knew he was supposed to, especially now he had to recall that day.

As Robin continued telling the story, the Doctor seemed to be taking it all in, assumingly working out a plan. Rose on the other hand, was also intently listening, but seemingly to the unimportant details, and was often interrupting with comments such as, "So the blonde guy with the shield is Much, and he's your right hand man." To which Robin always replied with the same patronising, two word, phrase, "Yes Rose." She had clearly decided the identities of the other outlaws would be important if the got into any danger, or worse; they mucked up time again!

Once the whole account had been told, the Doctor appeared to be very excited, running back to the TARDIS and unlocking it.

"Come on then!" he yelled to the others.

"Doctor I think you're forgetting something!" Rose responded.

"Well I have dates, I have times, I have locations… it's not like there's anything else we need, trust me I should know. It is my TARDIS after all… or have you suddenly become a great expert?!"

"You're babbling again Doctor!" Rose interrupted before he could get any further.

"Yeah I know, I like babbling!" The Doctor answered cheekily.

"I realized, but what about the gang?" Robin wasn't particularly amused by the Doctor, especially since they were supposed to be creating a plan.

"The gang? What about them? We don't need them. Rose here has taken a whole army down by herself, Jack is… well Jack is brilliant." He grinned a massive grin. "And well, then there's me…"

"Stop it Doctor!" Rose butted in. "Just listen to him."

"Okay okay… sheesh!" He leaned back against the TARDIS, obviously a bit annoyed that he couldn't just get on with it.

"Well I was going to say, wouldn't they be a bit freaked out if I just disappeared, and then turned up with Marian when she's supposed to be dead!"

"Oh yeah… didn't think of that." The Doctor was looking slightly awkward.

"See Doctor, for a time traveler you aren't half careless at times!" Rose exclaimed, secretly finding it quite funny.

"So anyway, I think it would be a good idea if, before we go, we give some sort of explanation about what we're doing."

"We could try, though I'm not sure it will be easy to explain!" The Doctor had had a lot of experience with time travel and the Earth's past, never easy. There's always the possible problem of being recorded in history, not a good idea.

So Robin informed the gang of their plans, but only basics. He felt all they needed to know was that Marian would be back, after all that was all he cared about now.

Much of course was slightly confused, he half wondered if Robin was just wishfully thinking; could these strangers really time travel? He also didn't think this would be practical, surely the Sheriff and Guy would be suspicious, not to mention anyone they had told.

However Robin assured him that they could come up with a feasible explanation; perhaps she had just been injured rather than killed and had been recovering in the Holy Land under Will and Djaq's protection. That was convincing enough he thought, he was surprised he could think rationally anymore. Maybe if he was lucky enough he could convince Will and Djaq to return too; not only would it make their story more convincing but he had missed them too and it would bring the old gang back together again.

Much then agreed with him, he knew it would hurt Robin if these strangers were lying, but on the other hand, Robin obviously trusted them so it was likely to succeed, and he would love to see his Master happy again. He missed the happy go lucky, cheerful and jokey Robin.

Meanwhile, Rose and Jack had been questioning the Doctor, asking what he planned to do. It would be a tricky task, especially with all the possible dangers involved.

"Once in a while Doctor, you should think about the consequences of your actions." Jack told him, he realized how risky the whole plan was, he had had more than his fair share of interference with time, Torchwood had seen to that.

"Where would be the fun in that?! I like it better this way."

"That's what he always says Jack, you should know that by now, and besides it is actually more fun!"

"Thank you Rose." The Doctor said sarcastically, satisfied he had finally gotten his point across. "And nice call on Robin earlier. How did you know it was him? I usually get these things easy, but those outlaws all seemed the same… well not quite but you get my point don't you?"

"Yes Doctor, but it wasn't that hard really. Body language mainly, the way he stepped forward suggested authority and he went straight to the point. Then there was the obvious, he was the only one carrying a bow. Even you must know the stories; greatest archer in England… winning the silver arrow competition, know what I mean?"

"Oh yeah.. never mind, need you here for something." He joked. "Perhaps one day I'll pay attention for once!"

"Well if you hadn't been so busy throwing sugar around and babbling about being traveler, then you might have thought to use your Time Lord "abilities" to save me from that stupid embarrassment!" She snapped at him, probably due to the stress they were under because of the plan.

"Well if you paid attention and stopped fighting you might realise he's coming back!" Jack now shouted at them, they could be so argumentative at times. That was partly what made them so alike, he guessed, which was probably why they loved each other so much.

"So they know, and I brought you three weapons, you better know how to use them! I don't have time to teach you how to use them." Robin handed the Doctor and Jack swords, while Rose received a bow and quiver.

"Where's the trigger?" Jack asked, looking baffled at the weapon, the Doctor to be honest wasn't sure if he was joking, but really hoped he was. The Doctor on the other hand was content with the weapon, he could use it well enough; the spar with the Sycorax had proved that. Rose was complacent, she knew well enough how to use a bow, but living in the twenty first century meant she never used one as a weapon, and she hoped she wouldn't have to.

"A trigger? What kind of weapon has a built in trigger… it's a sword Jack."

"Don't worry about him, he's just being silly." The Doctor glared at Jack as he spoke, he was trying to tell him to stop with the references from the future. _Fool!_ Rose thought, okay she wasn't exactly the perfect companion, but at the rate Jack was going guns would be invented long before they should, and so the course of history would be altered.

"I think we're ready to go then." Robin didn't want to have to wait any longer, he didn't see any reason why he should have to.

The Doctor unlocked the door to the TARDIS and opened the door, bracing himself for Robin's reaction. But he simply walked straight in, like he was a regular companion.

"Come on! Don't I even get an 'it's bigger on the inside'?"

"I thought that was a bit obvious really." Rose laughed, she had never expected Robin to act that way, his mind was obviously on other things.

"Now just need to… set the coordinates and time." The Doctor started tapping away at some buttons on the console, watching the monitor all the time. "Rose hold that lever down, Jack, when I say, turn that dial…" They quickly went to do just that, they knew the kind of problems that occurred when they didn't obey him. "and Robin… Robin?... Hello?"

"Sorry, you wanted something?" Robin was off in his own little world.

"You okay?" Rose asked, concerned.

"Well I was just thinking, could we…?" He began.

"No." The Doctor stated, interrupting. "I'm sorry but we can't save Carter. Rescuing Marian is risky enough."

Robin understood, in an ideal world he would have been able to save both, but then again in an ideal world they would never have died, or, for that matter, the Sheriff and Gisbourne wouldn't even exist. Unfortunately however, they did exist, and they had died, however he was only able to save one, and he knew he would choose Marian every time, he had to. Perhaps, he thought, there was even a reason for all this, he didn't know. But he knew one important thing; that Marian was the best choice, not just for him but for everyone, he needed her; she was his life, his soul, his everything, he needed her to continue. He even vaguely remembered hearing the Doctor and Rose mention something about them always together in the legends. He smiled, him a legend, and Marian part of it, by his side the whole time, it was perfect.

"Robin!" The Doctor's shout brought him out of his little dream world. "I said, hold on tight! We're about to set off!" Robin immediately grabbed onto the nearest thing, a railing, he guessed that it would be a bumpy ride.

The Doctor pressed a button near the centre of the console. The TARDIS leapt into life, Robin was fixated by the strange sound it made, and the movement of the central column he had never seen or heard anything like it before.

"Now Jack!" The Doctor yelled over the noise and Jack turned the dial. With one final lurch the TARDIS stopped and it was quiet.

"We're here!" The Doctor announced, just like he always enjoyed doing. "Everyone remember the rules, don't change too much and don't let the previous Robin see you. Oh and Jack, no guns!"

"Oh…" Jack moaned, but left his guns on the TARDIS floor.

"But Doctor, how will we know which Robin is "the previous" one?" Rose asked, he obviously hadn't thought of that.

"Don't worry Rose I'm wearing different clothes, specially suited for the hot sun of the Holy Land." Robin replied for him.

Jack then walked away from the console and opened the large blue wooden doors , and the four of them gazed out at the sight before them.

**A/N: Well I finally bothered to right it, sorry for the long wait everyone! Couldn't resist making the DW characters say quotes from RH, more to come hopefully if I can fit them in... so R & R and hopfully it won't take so long for me to post the next chapter (You all know what's gonna happen in it)**


	4. I Have To Do This My Way

_Chapter 4 - I Have To Do This My Way_

"Ermm… Doctor what did you do?!" Rose asked after a long period of silence. They were staring at complete blackness, when clearly they shouldn't be.

"I have no idea!" He walked back over to the console, studying the monitor. "We are _definitely_ in the right place… and right time… oh I know!" The TARDIS whirred as if to set off again, seemingly shutting its own doors. As the noise quietened the Doctor seemed to think he'd solved the problem. "Okay open the doors again." Jack opened the doors, this time revealing the sandy coloured buildings of the Holy Land.

"That's better!" Rose laughed as she and the Doctor left the TARDIS. "But what _did_ you do?!"

"You see that wall over there?" The Doctor pointed to the wall that the TARDIS was backed up against. "Well, we were facing that!" The Doctor blushed slightly.

"Genius!" Jack remarked, strolling out the TARDIS after the others.

"Oh shut up!" The Doctor locked the TARDIS doors. "Okay everyone remember where we're parked!" He laughed.

"What?!" Robin asked.

"Oops, sorry, twenty-first century joke… never mind." The Doctor had half forgotten that Robin lived in the twelth century.

They walked off around the corner after Robin, they assumed towards the place where he knew Marian would be.

"Wait a minute, if we're going to do this, we need to make sure we are prepared; this could easily go wrong."

"What like a plan?" Robin questioned the Doctor.

"Yeah, here's what we do…" Jack started, he had clearly been thinking it through. He told them all the entire intricate plan that he'd come up with, involving distractions, fights, all sorts of possibilities and the solutions to them.

"Okay then…" Rose commented sarcastically. "Thought that through just a bit too much Jack!"

"Right, Robin and Jack you stop the Sheriff from shooting the King, Rose you come with me and we'll make sure Guy stays away from Marian. Everyone understand?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"No."

"What?!" The Doctor didn't quite believe what he'd just heard Robin say.

"I understand perfectly. I just don't agree."

"But we're going to save Marian, isn't that what you want?!" The Doctor didn't quite see why Robin would disagree.

"Of course that's what I want, but _I_ have to save her. She's _my_ fiancée, _I'm_ supposed to be her hero, _and I'm_ supposed to save her. I can't let a group of strangers that she doesn't even know, be the ones to save her! I am thankful for your help so far, but I have to find her myself, explain why I'm here, _myself_… I'm sorry, but I have to do this my way." Robin jogged away, heading through the alleyways towards the walkway overlooking the lower courtyard; he would make sure he found her before she ran in to protect the King, meaning there would be _no_ chance of him being too late.

"So here's the new plan." Rose started, she found it completely understandable that he wanted to be the one to save her, and decided it would be a better idea to deal with the Sheriff and Guy rather than go chasing after Robin. "Jack, you find the Sheriff, stop him shooting the King. Doctor, we've got to make sure that Guy doesn't get anywhere near the King, or Marian for that matter."

"Okay, let's go." Jack headed off alone; he knew where he was going since Robin had told so much detail in his story, he'd been able to work out where he needed to be to find Vaysey.

"I think I can safely say your plan was much better than Jack's!" The Doctor laughed, as they walked round to the lower courtyard, going the opposite way Robin had.

"It wasn't exactly hard though was it?!"

"Not really, but we need to put it into action, prove that we're not just 'a group of strangers'."

"Shouldn't we be putting the plan into action for the greater good, that kind of thing, for Robin and Marian…?"

"Maybe, but then again who says I'm not just doing this for you?!"

"_Now_ I'm thinking that might be why you're doing it, but if anyone asks you're doing it for Robin okay, or for both of them."

"Of course, that was always why I was doing it; because they both deserve to be together."

"Yeah, they do… okay I believe you!" Rose laughed, kissing him on the cheek and linking arms with him as they continued down the sand coloured passageways.

**A/N: So there you go, another chapter, I'm thinking two more to go - the plan and rescue then, what happens after... no clues :D So lets hope Robin does his job properly! lol... anyway review please, show me you love me and want more!**


	5. She Was In Danger

_Chapter 5 – She Was In Danger_

Robin ran down the passageways, he had to find her, he couldn't let anything happen to her, not again. He'd promised himself he wouldn't, a secret promise to her too.

A flash of white caught his eye as it disappeared around the corner a short way ahead; it had to be her, the snow white garments he'd married and buried her in.

He picked up his speed, even as he turned the corner. Now he could see the stairs he knew she was heading for, heading towards his enemy, and to her death. Running faster still he grabbed hold of her arm, quickly positioning himself between her and the stairway.

"Robin?" Marian looked concerned, there was something different about him, and not just the relief and astonishment so evident in his eyes.

Robin was completely speechless; he hadn't seen her in a year and she was as beautiful as he remembered, if not more beautiful, and the sound of his name on her lips still made him skip a heartbeat. It was like nothing had changed, but it had, so much had changed; so much had happened to him, but she was completely unaware, she hadn't been there. He still had no idea what to say; that morning he'd thought he would never see her again, and now he was stood face to face with her, even touching her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, he was clearly not himself; he was acting like he hadn't seen her in a long time, almost like she was ghost.

Robin locked eyes with her, gazing deep into Marian's eyes; he loved to get lost in her beautiful blue eyes and forget the world around them. He slowly moved closer to her and their lips met in a tender loving kiss as he wrapped his arms protectively around her waist. They broke away briefly, before his lips returned to hers in a more passionate kiss, full of need; it had been so long since he'd kissed her, and how he'd missed kissing her.

He pulled away, lightly kissing her on the cheek as he hugged her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She put her own arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest; hugging him back.

He smiled, relishing the warmth of her body against his own, wondering how he'd managed to survive a year without her, certain he would never see her again, let alone hug or kiss her. For her, he knew it could only be for her, she'd made him promise to keep fighting _for her_, and that's what had kept him going, he would never break a promise to her.

"I've missed you so much… my wife." He whispered, thinking she wouldn't hear, but she had.

"What? You were talking to me but a few minutes ago! And I am _sure_ we're not married yet, I think I would remember if we were!"

"Do you trust me, Marian?" He seemingly ignored her comment, but he would deal with that dilemma later, right now he just wanted to get her to safety.

"Of course I trust you!" She would trust him with her life any day.

"Good… come with me _please_… I will explain everything later, I promise… I just _need_ you to come with me now."

"Sure I will." She intertwined her fingers with his and began to walk alongside him, back the way they'd come.

Robin breathed a sigh of relief, tightening his grip on her hand; every step was another step away from her death, even if she didn't know it yet.

Usually Marian would have been annoyed that he was keeping secrets from her; he was supposed to trust her and she hated to be left in the dark about anything. But this was different, she'd seen in his eyes he was scared, but the more worrying thing was that he only ever seemed to be scared when _she_ was in danger. On the other hand she knew she would be safe now she was with him, she trusted him, just like she'd said and she knew he would do anything to protect her.

"Marian…" Stopping in his tracks he turned to face her, taking her other hand, he still found it totally amazing that he was there with her.

"Yes?"

"I love you." From now on he was going to make sure he told her that _at least_ once a day.

She smiled. "I know… I've always known." She could tell he wanted to make sure she knew. "I love you too." She pulled him into a reassuring kiss.

They continued back towards the TARDIS, they would hide nearby in an abandoned building where no one would see them; he decided that would be the best way to keep her out of danger.

"Wow, what is that?" Marian marvelled at the large wooden box as they walked past.

"All in good time my love." Robin led her into a doorway near the TARDIS, sitting down in the shadows and leaning against the wall. He patted the ground next to him as a gesture for her to sit next to him, she happily obliged, smiling as he put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

Robin relaxed, she should be alright now, but he knew he had to keep on his guard, just in case someone happened to come across them. He kept his sword at hand; the first sign of trouble and he would be up, on his feet, and ready for anything.

"I'm sorry to have to ask; I know there must be a good reason why you haven't told me, but please tell me what's wrong. What has happened, Robin?" Marian could tell this was something important and she not only wanted to know what was worrying him so much, but also wanted to lift some of the burden off him.

"I _will_ tell you, but before I do, you need to know this… everything I am about to tell you is true, I would never lie to you."

Marian was worried, the tone of his voice was sincere, she could tell he wasn't quite the same person he'd been before; something had had a great impact on him.

It involved her, and she _knew_ she wasn't going to like it either.

* * *

Jack headed towards the sound of horses' hooves, he knew he was in roughly the right place and the Sheriff was on a horse, so logic said he would find Vaysey.

He turned a corner to be faced with the mounted Sheriff.

"Ahh, Vaysey…" Jack Harkness had his renowned charismatic grin on his face.

"Get out my way." Came the response, he was not pleased to find an anonymous man in the way, stopping him from completing his task.

"'Fraid I can't do that, I'm here to stop you making a huge mistake." He stated with an even tone of voice, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I make no mistake." Vaysey sternly protested, he knew exactly what he was doing; he had been waiting a long time for this.

"Cross me, and you will make the biggest mistake of your life."

"Stop wasting my time." Now Jack was just frustrating him and he had better things to be doing, like assassinating the King.

"Say goodbye."

"I don't think so." Jack replied calmly.

Vaysey drew his sword, plunging it into Jack's stomach as he rode past, disappearing somewhere out of Jack's sight.

Jack sunk silently to the ground clutching his stomach, _not again, _he thought; despite the fact he never stayed dead it hurt him just as much as it would any other human. The world blackened around him as he fell back onto the ground, he'd gotten so used to death that it barely fazed him anymore.

Jack took a sharp breath in, life seeping back into his body as his wound healed.

"I have _got_ to stop doing that!" He exclaimed, brushing the sand off his clothes and peeling his bloody shirt away from his skin, he'd lost count on how many blood stained shirts he'd had to throw out.

He buttoned up his coat, hiding the blood stain, as he walked back to where he assumed the Doctor and Rose would be. He turned the corner, bumping clumsily into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry." He nearly passed it off as an accident before realising who it was. "Wait, Carter right?"

"Yeah… and you would be?"

"Ermm… a friend of Robin's I came here with him."

"Oh right, nice to meet you."

"You should get out of here you know… don't tell anyone I told you so, but you'll regret it if you stay here, watch out for the Sheriff too." He seemed to Jack like a nice guy, and he didn't deserve to die. If the Doctor and Rose could decide to save someone, so could he.

"Thanks…"

"Oh and in about a year, you might want to go back to Sherwood for a bit of a visit, you won't want to miss it."

"Right, I will… look I'd better be going."

"Okay, before you go could you do me a favour?"

Carter looked questioningly at him. "Depends."

"Tell Will and Djaq to go visit then too."

"Sure, bye then."

"See you." Jack and Carter continued on their way. Carter slightly confused as to what had just happened, but something told him to trust this stranger, so he did, going back to his accommodation. Jack went off to find Rose and the Doctor, if he couldn't stop the Sheriff from shooting the King then he could help them stop Guy.

* * *

The Doctor and Rose found King Richard wounded on the ground, clearly Jack hadn't done his job properly. They rushed over to his side, checking to see how he was, the Doctor scanning him over with his sonic screwdriver.

"Are you alright?" Rose carefully pulled the arrow from his shoulder as she spoke, taking care not to make the wound worse.

He groaned a little from the pain of the removal but smiled as a thank you afterwards.

"Thank you…" He struggled to remember her name, realising he didn't know.

"Rose." She told him. "And this is…" She pondered over whether to say 'The Doctor' of 'John Smith'.

"I'm the Doctor, nice to meet you King Richard."

"Doctor…?"

"Just the Doctor, think of me as a physician if you like." He continued his work with the sonic screwdriver, fusing the top layers of skin to allow the wound to heal quicker.

"Thanks very much… Doctor…" The name felt strange on his tongue. "You seem to be a very good doctor, I'm feeling much better already."

"Just doing my job." The Doctor smiled, he hadn't quite meant it to sound like that.

The Doctor began to scan over him again, double checking if he was all okay, he was an important man in time, couldn't have anything happening to him.

Guy of Gisbourne seemingly appeared from an alleyway, brandishing his sword.

"Ahh, Richard…" He began to stride forward, intending the deed he'd come there to do.

Rose jumped up from where she was, running up towards him, putting herself between him and the Doctor and Richard.

"Guy… Stop!" She slowed down as she approached him. "It's over Guy." She backed away as he continued to advance. The Doctor watched on in complete horror, it was Marian's death all over again, except it was going to happen to the woman _he_ loved. "You think I'm going to let you kill England?"

"Get out the way!" Guy swiped his sword at her, not so much in an attempt to hit her but to make her move.

"You'll have to kill me first." She didn't know what made her say it, but if the King died and Prince John ended up ruling England then the whole of history could be changed, she might never exist.

"I'm going to do this thing and then I will have power beyond measure and I will have Marian as my wife."

Rose smiled, he really was as naïve as she'd first thought. "She would rather die than be with you Guy of Gisbourne."

"No…" Guy protested weakly.

"She's going to marry Robin Hood." Guy looked at her in astonishment; what she was saying couldn't be true, surely it couldn't. "She loves Robin Hood." His expression suggested a hint of confusion, he couldn't believe what this woman was saying. "She _loves_ Robin Hood." Rose repeated more firmly.

Guy's expression hardened, he had to put an end to this; this girl, that he didn't even know, was telling, what he thought were, malicious lies about the woman he felt he loved and to make it worse was wrapping his enemy up into them. Guy of Gisbourne drew back his sword.

The Doctor felt like he was rooted to the spot, he could do nothing but watch. All he could see was this vision of Guy stabbing Rose, _killing_ his Rose. His mind was full with the picture of her dying in his arms, all too soon, he never wanted her to die; he so desperately wanted to find a way for her to live forever with him. Of course he knew that the possibility of that was slim, _so _slim, but all the same he could wish. If however, she _had_ to die he wanted it to be peaceful, in the safety of the TARDIS by no man's hand. He wanted them to have a long life together, not so much settling down, but together. He had so much left to show her, to see with her, to do with her. Even the possibility of marriage, he'd never thought about it before, never felt the need to, it would only make it more painful when she died. He decided there and then that he wanted to give her just what she deserved; the big white wedding, a family, prove to her that he wasn't going anywhere, if that was what she wanted, they'd never had 'the conversation'.

If _somehow_ they managed to get through this.

**A/N: So im getting good at these evil cliffys i think :D And i got SO carried away with that last bit lol... so there you go finally Marian in it! took long enough... So i was gonna finish it this chap but it's already pretty long and this way i get to leave an evil cliffy... prob one chap left now. Review please :D**

**Also i was thinking about doing a oneshot angst/romance R/M thing post 2/13 RH depends if people want me to do one so please leave a message (after the tone, lol) if you think it would be good. Thanx xx**


	6. So Sad Yet So Gorgeous

**Mini Warning: Descriptive kissing later in the chapter.**

_Chapter 6 – So Sad Yet So Gorgeous_

Suddenly Guy jerked backwards, slumping forwards against Rose. She stepped cautiously backwards, staring in complete shock at him as he fell to the floor. What had just happened? Was he dead? _Oh my God, _she thought,_ did I kill him? And if I did, how did I kill him?!_

She looked to the Doctor, he hadn't moved since she'd left his side. He gazed at her in amazement; she was still alive! He grinned, running over to give her a big hug, lifting her up as he did. He set her carefully back down, giving her a warm kiss.

"The good old stun gun…" Jack interrupted them. "Always was my favourite." He grinned cheekily at them, putting the gun back in its holster.

"I said no guns Jack… you disobeyed me." The Doctor stated firmly.

"But… I…" Jack began to protest.

"Good." The Doctor grinned; for once he was glad that Jack had defied him, he dreaded to think what would have happened if he hadn't. "And you…" He turned his attention back to Rose. "Never scare me like that again!"

"Sorry, but I had to…"

"No I understand… you just scared the wits out of me!"

She smiled. "One of my many talents."

"I think I'd better move him out of sight." Jack thought out loud, taking hold of Guy under the arms and dragging him towards a nearby building where he planned to dump him off.

Once Jack was out of sight the Doctor bent slowly down on one knee.

"Oh my God!" Rose clasped a hand over her mouth as he took her other hand, was he really going to do what she thought he was?

"Marry me Rose."

"Wow, really?... I never thought you'd… you never want to settle down… and."

"So is that a no?!" The Doctor looked pleadingly up at her.

"No… I mean it's not a no, it's a yes!" She smiled at him, he grinned back. "Give me a kiss then!" She pulled him up to his feet as she spoke, kissing him. The Doctor pulled away, smiling and giving her a tight hug.

Jack came back over, giving the pair a suspicious look.

"What have you two done now?"

"We're engaged!" Rose replied excitedly. Falling in love with the Doctor meant she never expected him to propose, not that she'd minded; she was just happy to be with him, however she still couldn't help being excited; it hadn't really sunk in properly that they were engaged.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Typical… what is it with you two?!"

The couple just grinned at each other, they couldn't help themselves, even Jack's sarcasm wouldn't stop them.

"Joking…" He grinned. "Congratulations!" He gave them both a hug; his two best friends, with the exception of Ianto, engaged and so happy together, he didn't know a couple more suited to each other.

The sound of voices was heard in the background, Jack pulled away.

"The gang!" The all whispered to each other, almost in unison.

"We're all done here and Marian's clearly fine… we should probably go back to the TARDIS." Jack stated quietly, heading off to a side alley way. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Rose's waist, pulling her closer to him as they followed behind, completely ignoring Jack as he babbled on about an unknown subject, to nobody in particular.

* * *

"I die?!" Robin had told Marian everything, she now saw why he was being so protective over her. She knew _exactly _why he was so scared.

"You did _before_, yes, to save England… but that's not going to happen now, I stopped it from happening."

"Thank you Robin." She smiled weakly.

"I had to; I am nothing without you Marian…" He smiled back at her. "Come here…" He pulled her into a hug, holding her close against him. "You know Marian, I would have done anything so I could… so I…"

"What?" She pulled back to look at him.

"So I could come back." She grinned at him. "Shut up." He smiled, blushing slightly, as he pulled her back into the hug.

"I love you Robin."

"I love you too." He kissed the top of her head, tightening his embrace.

Suddenly he pulled away, leaping to his feet. Marian looked questionably up at him.

"Shh…" He put a finger up to his lips. The sound of voices could be heard; he tightened his grip on his sword.

"Speaking of love birds, I wonder where Robin and Marian could be…" Jack, Robin realised, the strong American accent told him that much.

He relaxed. Holding a hand out to Marian, he helped her to her feet, smiling as she brushed the sand off the both of them.

"We're here." Robin called out, wrapping an arm around Marian's waist as they walked to meet the others, heading towards the TARDIS.

"Marian!" Rose grinned, giving her a hug.

"You're Rose, right?!" Marian asked after Rose finally let go of her.

"Yeah, and this is the Doctor, and Jack." Robin indicated to the other two as he spoke.

Marian smiled. "Thank you… all of you."

"You're welcome." All three replied, smiling at the adoring look Robin gave her as he slid his arm back around her waist.

"Let's get going." Robin said, rather agitatedly; he was eager to get away from the one place he hated more than anywhere else; the place that had haunted him non-stop for the past year. He wanted to leave and never come back.

"Good idea." Jack understood that Robin wanted to leave quickly.

The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS, gesturing for Rose to go inside, she smiled at him, walking inside as he followed after.

Robin took Marian's hand, leading her into the TARDIS, half expecting an amazed response from her. She simply smiled at him as he watched her response; after everything he'd just told her nothing would surprise her.

"Oh come on!" The Doctor exclaimed, at least one of them could have been impressed by the TARDIS.

Jack shut the doors behind him. "Were you really expecting a great response Doctor? These two are hardly your usual passengers." He nodded an indication to Robin and Marian, they both had a smile on their face as they talked; he guessed about what she'd missed.

Rose faked an insulted look. "Excuse me! I was pretty amazed by it when I first met the Doctor!"

The Doctor stopped his tapping at the TARDIS console. "Well _you_ are fantastically amazing and special, Rose Tyler." He grinned, walking over to kiss her on the cheek.

He set the TARDIS in motion, grinning at Rose as she grabbed onto him to stop herself from falling, he wrapped his arms around her to hold her up.

The bumpy ride caused Marian to stumble, Robin wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her upright. "Got you!" He grinned, steadying himself against the pillar they were stood next to.

The Doctor glanced at them, beaming at Rose, remembering a time with her a while ago. Even though the two couples were from such different times they were so very similar. The Doctor considered this for a while, only noticing that the TARDIS had stopped when Rose moved away.

They soon left the TARDIS, Robin was much more relaxed now that they were back in Sherwood forest, he smiled as Marian took his hand, trying to make him see that everything would be alright now.

Robin took Marian back to the camp. The gang had decorated the entire area; ribbon, drapes, flowers and candles were spread through the trees almost like it was set up for something special.

Marian gazed up at it all, and then to Robin. They walked over towards the centre of the arrangement. Robin stopped in the middle, turning to face her and smiling adoringly at her; he'd specifically asked the gang to do this.

"Marry me, Marian."

"What?" She wasn't entirely sure what he'd just said, everything was happening so fast.

"Here and now, marry me."

She gazed into his eyes, they told her how desperate he was for all this, he felt like he was married to her but she wasn't married to him.

"Yes."

She beamed, she wanted this as much as he did; the true reality of the danger of their job had become so evident to the both of them. They both wanted to have married life before the chance for it was taken away.

Robin smiled gratefully at her, producing a ring from his pocket, it was a simple gold band with a short message engraved inside.

_I will always love you Marian_

He'd bought it years ago, when they were first betrothed and had kept it ever since then, hung on a chord around his neck. He felt that still having it now, after so many years, proved he _would_ always love her and always had. She knew that, she'd told him numerous times that she always had, she'd found it helped to reassure and comfort him.

Robin gently took her hand in his, gazing deep into her eyes.

"I, Robin, take you Marian to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part." He didn't once take his eyes off her, letting a few tears roll down his face; death had parted them once already, he couldn't bare the thought of that happening again. Marian carefully wiped the tears from his cheeks, as her own eyes filled with tears; he looked so sad yet so gorgeous at the same time.

"I, Marian, take you Robin, beautiful, beautiful Lord of Locksley to be my wedded husband. I promise to love you and to cherish you, on earth, and especially in heaven. For now and forever, 'till death do us part… kiss me."

He leant in to kiss her but she pulled away, protesting.

"No, give me the ring first; make an honest woman of me, Robin." He slid the ring gently onto her finger, a smile on his face as he did so. _Just like before, _he thought. Only this time she wasn't dying.

Marian wrapped her arms around his neck. "You may kiss the bride." She pulled him closer, tenderly pressing her lips against his; their first kiss as husband and wife.

Robin placed his arms lovingly around her waist as he deepened the kiss, gently teasing her lips open with his tongue. He took the time to explore her mouth, remembering every contour, noting the exact spot that made her entangle her fingers in his hair. He skimmed his fingers over Marian's back, pulling her closer still, as he pulled away, barely allowing her a second to catch her breath before he engulfed her lips with his own again. Their tongues battle for dominance until he hits that spot again and she melts into his arms, surrendering to his touch. He smiles into her mouth as she whimpers and massages her tongue with his own again, hoping to elicit that enchanting sound once more. She lets out another, quieter sound and he pulls slowly away, grinning.

"I love you… my husband." She utters the words as a whisper in his ear.

"I love _you_… my wife." He whispers back, feeling _so_ honoured to be able to call her his wife.

They spend the rest of the evening alone, sat leaning against one of the many lit up trees. He holds her close to him, arm around her waist, sharing his warmth with her as it grows dark.

As it grew late, the conversation stilled. Marian had fallen asleep, head resting on Robin's shoulder. He smiled as he watched her sleeping; she looked like an angel with the moonlight shining on her face. He sat there for a while, doing nothing but listening to and watching her while she slept.

She shivered slightly in her sleep, causing him to realise how cold it was. He carefully lifted her up, taking care not to wake her and carried her back to the camp. It was empty; he smiled at the gang's consideration. Laying her gently down on his bed, he climbed in next to her, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her, smiling as she sighed in her sleep. Gradually he drifted off to sleep with her; the first time in a year that he would sleep peacefully.

* * *

Jack shut the TARDIS doors as the couple left. They'd done their job, saved the world again and he was content; even if it had been rather eventful.

"I'll see you two later." He indicated to his bloodstained shirt as he headed off to find a new one.

"Congratulations Doctor, saved the world again!" Rose grinned at him.

"Oh come on! Hardly!"

"No, I'm serious. Do you really think the Sheriff would have stopped at England?"

"Robin would have defeated him anyway!" The Doctor retorted.

"Not without Marian. Surely you saw what she means to him, he needs her; he couldn't have gone on much longer without her."

"You're right." He kissed her. "You know what Rose? Those two truly are the stuff of legends."

**A/N: So that was the final chapter of this fic!! Hope you liked my descriptive kissing lol! But anyway please review for the last time!! And keep a look out on my user page for the release of my cover and book of this, as well as the oneshot that will be in the book with this as it is based around this story.**


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